Nuggets trade JaVale McGee to 76ers for salary relief – USA TODAY

JaVale McGee was traded from the Nuggets.(Photo: Isaiah J. Downing, USA TODAY Sports)JaVale McGee played 121 games in three seasons with the Denver Nuggets, which quietly came to an end Thursday at the NBA trade deadline.McGee was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers along with a 2015 protected first-round pick (the Oklahoma City Thunder’s pick, which was owned by the Nuggets), a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The Sixers sent the rights to Turkish player Cenk Akyol to Denver in the deal. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the trade has not been made official.The first-round pick the Sixers received is protected in the top 18, and it’s possible Philadelphia gets that pick in the June draft, giving them potentially three first-round picks — their own pick, Miami’s first-round pick if it isn’t top-10 and the pick from Denver, which it acquired from Cleveland in the Timofey Mozgov trade. Cleveland acquired the pick from Oklahoma City in the Dion Waiters trade.The Nugget meanwhile have shed salary, trading McGee, who is due $12 million next season, Arron Afflalo, who will make $7.5 million next season, and Mozgov, whom the Nuggets traded to Cleveland earlier this season.In the McGee and Afflalo trades, the Nuggets also created two trade exceptions – one worth $7.5 million and one worth $12 million.Once viewed as a promising talent, McGee has struggled with injuries and faced questions about his work ethic since being traded to Denver by the Washington Wizards. The Nuggets gave up defensive ace Nene for McGee at the 2012 trade deadline, a trade few questioned at the time because of Nene’s injuries and McGee’s potential.However his production has decreased with every season, and the 7-foot 27-year-old averaged 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 11.5 minutes a game for the Nuggets this season.NBA trade deadline 2015: Every player on the moveAutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext Slide – Click Here To Visit Article Source